A car bomb blasted through a busy bus station near one of Iraq's holiest shrines Saturday, killing at least 37 people, police and hospital officials said. The bus station bombing occurred about 200 yards from the Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala, where the grandson of Islam's Prophet Muhammad is buried — one of the most important sites for Shiites. After the attack, hundreds of people swarmed around ambulances, crying out and pounding their chests, and attacking police who tried to clear the roadway. "I want my father. Where is my father?" 11-year-old Sajad Kadhim cried out as he lay on the grounds of the hospital, where doctors were treating his burns. "All I remember was we were shopping. My father was holding my hand and suddenly there was a big explosion. I don't know where my father is. I want my father," the boy cried. Khalid Adnan Obeid, director of Al-Hussein Hospital, Ghalib al-Daamai of the provincial security committee and ... http://www.usatoday.com

British forces killed eight gunmen laying landmines in the volatile southern Iraqi city of Basra, close to where four British soldiers were blown up earlier this month, the military said on Saturday. British forces in southern Iraq are pursuing a more aggressive policy towards Shi'ite militias as they prepare to hand over security control of Basra to Iraqi security forces later this year. Stabilizing the port city is crucial for Iraq as it is the hub for the country's largest oilfields and the source of 90 percent of the government's revenues. British military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Kevin Stratford-Wright said eight militiamen were killed when two roadside bomb teams were attacked by British forces while laying devices on the western outskirts of Basra on Friday night. "Precision guided ground to ground missiles, tank fire and 105mm light gun were employed. Those who were attacked ... were seen laying their devices beside the road in the path of our vehicles. ...http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070414/ts_nm/iraq_basra_dc

Russian opposition leader Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion, and at least 200 other activists were detained by police Saturday as they gathered for a forbidden anti-Kremlin demonstration in central Moscow, reports CBS News correspondent Svetlana Berdnikova. Among others arrested were youth movement leaders, two Reuters employees and a Russian Radio Echo correspondent. Ex–premier Mikhail Kasyanov and former parliament deputy, now prominent opposition politician Irina Khakamada managed to escape detention thanks to the groups of supporters who surrounded them during the march. The demonstrators were shouting "Russia without Putin," among other chants. Young people also lit firecrackers. ...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/14/world/main2683858.shtml?source=RSSattr=World_2683858

A severe weather system blamed for two deaths plowed eastward Saturday, rattling the Gulf states with strong thunderstorms as the Northeast prepared for possible coastal flooding.The storm blew across the southern Plains on Friday, piling snow a foot deep in Kansas and raking Texas with high wind."I felt my house start shaking like the wind and I ran in here and grabbed my little girl," Amanda Rymer, 21, said in Haltom City, Texas. "As soon as I moved her, the roof fell in right where she was standing." (Watch how wind tossed 18-wheelers like toys )The storm tore roofs off houses in Rymer's neighborhood and destroyed porches and garages. About a dozen tractor-trailer rigs were blown onto their sides....http://www.cnn.com/2007/WEATHER/04/14/spring.storm.ap/index.html?eref=rss_us

An elderly woman was rescued after being found buried beneath a pile of debris, garbage and animal feces in a home, authorities said. An elderly man was found dead.Helen Bushwick, 85, was discovered Thursday when volunteer firefighters went to the two-story house on Long Island after relatives said they couldn't reach her. Debris mixed with human and animal waste was piled high in every room, some all the way to the ceiling."A six-foot pile of rubbish collapsed on her and trapped her in there," Erik Kinney, a volunteer firefighter, said of Bushwick.The man was found Friday when authorities resumed a search. His name was not released.Bushwick was taken to a hospital where she was admitted suffering from dehydration. Officials weren't sure how long the couple had been trapped, but neighbors said they last saw them about a week ago....http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/14/trapped.woman.ap/index.html?eref=rss_us

Some 300,000 Turks protested against their pro-Islamic prime minister Saturday, draping themselves in flags and pouring into streets and squares in a demonstration of the intense secular opposition he will face if he runs for president. Protesters called on the government to resign and chanted: "We don't want an imam as president!" Flags of support fluttered from balconies and windows. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has brandished his strong religious convictions, speaking out against restrictions on wearing Islamic-style head scarves in government offices and schools, and taking steps to bolster religious institutions in this country founded on the principle of secular rule. He also tried to criminalize adultery before being forced to back down under intense pressure from the European Union, which Turkey is trying to join. ...http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=3041364